Barbarians
at the Gate

When
the Romans left Britain, they turned out the lights. This is what happened
before…

Barbarians
at the Gate is a game about the fall of the Roman Empire. At the start of
the game the empire still stands although it’s already been divided in two and
the entire effort of the Empire is devoted to holding the frontiers against the
barbarian invaders beyond.

Barbarians
at the Gate uses the same game system and software as Dark
Age II and the same map as Medieval
Empires, but it should play differently from either.

At
the start of the game there are six Roman players. The Eastern and Western
Emperors are based in Constantinople and Rome itself, and four Caesars (army
commanders) control the armies in Britain, Syria, on the Rhine (Gaul) and Danube
(Dalmatia – see note 1).

Huge
lines of fortifications and garrisons extend the length of the Rhine and Danube
and the frontier with the Persians.

Beyond
the northern borders are the reasons for the fortifications. There are eight
German kingdoms. From west to east, they are the Franks, the Burgundians, the
Alemanni, the Vandals, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, with the Angles to the
north and the Lombards to the rear.

Far
to the east are some important reasons why the German kings will not be
remaining in their homelands, as the Huns are pouring over the eastern map edge.

You
don’t want to get between some latter-day Attila and the riches of the empire,
unless you fancy you can defeat him on the steppes before the hordes (see note
2) descend on Europe.

In
addition to the sixteen start “kingdoms” there are eleven more that can be
activated later in the game (players can swap to these the same way as in Dark
Age). These are the Irish, Scots and Picts in Britain, the Norse, Danes, Swedes,
Finns, Balts and Slavs in Northern Europe, the Berbers in North Africa and the
Arabs in the Middle East.

Barbarians
at the Gate uses the same game system and software as Dark Age II and the same
map as Medieval Empires, but it should play differently from either.

Almost
all areas on the map are controlled by someone at the start, so there’s no
early expansion phase. You start with a mature kingdom and you’re right in the
action on turn one. Armies and populations should move around the map at the
same speed as Dark Age rather than the ebb and flow like Empires.

The
German kingdoms are all small but they’re heavily populated and they have
large reserves and households. The Roman kingdoms are large and their treasuries
are full, but the economy of the empire is in ruin and income is barely enough
to cover supply costs. Given time they’ll be able to rebuild their economies
and increase their incomes, but will they be given time?

If
the Romans work together, they may be able to hold the empire together. Six
players? Work together? All through the game? Yeah, right, that’s going to
happen. But group applications from players willing to give it a try are welcome
(group applications for the German kingdoms are also welcome).

The
two western army commanders (Britain & Gaul) are sub-kings to the western
emperor and the two eastern army commanders (Dalmatia & Syria) are sub-kings
to the eastern emperor

Note
1.

There’s
a special rule for the commander of the armies on the Danube. The first player
running this kingdom to form an army with a strength of 101 collects a penalty
of 101 victory points… and we’ll have no “spotty dog” jokes either.

Note
2.

Yes,
I know this is historically incorrect, that a “horde” is actually a term for
a military unit employed by the Mongols (who came later) but it reads well and
I’m keeping it. While we’re on the subject, the Angles are the same people
as the Saxons (they’re both names for the English, in two different languages)
and the Huns are not related to any sort of Germans.

The
values of the “High King” and “Under King” bonuses have been increased
(the total of household and treasury is divided by three instead of five) and
the kingdoms now don’t have to be from the same nation.

All
the kingdoms other than the Romans and Persians are barbarians and can use all
the Gaelic & Viking rules (ARM, LAND, POP and SETTLE). The BUILD action is
allowed only for the Romans and Persians, but there are no cities on the current
map (we’ll probably add them for later games) so BUILD isn’t possible
anyway,

The
routine for ordering dropout kingdoms has been changed so that they normally
won’t attack other kingdoms of the same nation.

Non-Player
Kingdoms

New
rules apply for “Non Player Kingdoms”. In Barbarians at the Gate these can
hold territory on the map and will build and defend themselves in a similar to
way to the un-owned areas in Dark Age (but more aggressively). They’ll also
keep coming back if they’re eliminated, and their homelands will rebel against
anyone that controls them.

The
Huns get the best use of all the rules. Up to turn twenty they count as a
Non-Player Kingdom (they get the benefit of extra troops and population at the
end of every turn, at double the normal rate) even though there’s a player in
charge and all through the game they get the same Victory Point bonus and extra
reserves as the Vikings in Dark Age (except they get army reserves, not ships).

You can start by waiting for a new game (there are always waiting lists
open) or by taking over an existing “standby” position (where the previous
player has dropped out). You may have to wait a while for a new game to start,
but standby positions are normally available very quickly. One option is to take
a standby position while you learn your way around the game while you wait for
the next new game to fill.

Once started, all run with two-weekly deadlines (so you've fourteen days
between turns). Turnfees are £2.50 for one, £10.00 for four, £20.00 for ten
and £36.00 for twenty. There are further discounts available if you play in
more than one game. Bonuses can be carried over from other games in the series
(Dark Age and Empires).

To join Barbarians at the Gate you'll need to send £5.00
(payable to Ab Initio Games) along with your name and address, which covers the
cost of your rulebook, setup and first three turns (or five turns if a starting
in a standby position). When you send in your application please give an empire
name and indicate which version of the game you wish to play.